Hellebore tincture is used to treat diseases in cattle associated with digestive disorders. The brown liquid has a strong irritating effect. The alcoholic infusion of white hellebore root should be used carefully, without exceeding the dosage, as it is toxic. Failure to comply with standards and neglect of the treatment regimen leads to death.
Properties of hellebore
The drug is obtained from the root part of white hellebore, infused in 70˚ ethyl alcohol (1:10). The active component of the product is hellebore alkaloids. In addition to them, the composition includes:
- starch;
- protoveratrine;
- tannins;
- Sahara;
- Nervin;
- resin.
The product has a sharp, specific odor, is used only for veterinary purposes, and is available without a prescription. The drug is classified as a ruminator and emetic. Within 5-10 minutes. after taking the medicine orally in ruminants, motility and pancreatic secretion improve, belching and chewing of cud appear.
In addition, hellebore tincture is used for external use as an antiparasitic agent. The drug is applied generously to the animal’s body. After 20-30 minutes. comb out, then wash off with water. After 7-10 days, the procedure should be repeated, since the product affects insects, but not their eggs.
Indications for use
In calves, tympania can develop at the age of 1.5-2 months, when, in addition to milk, they begin to eat concentrated and roughage. Cows get sick when fed lettuce leaves, potato tops, and legumes. Frozen, contaminated feed is especially dangerous. The disease develops very quickly.
Hellebore tincture is used for treatment of small livestock and cattle. It is advisable to give the remedy:
- when the rumen is overfilled with feed masses;
- if there is a disorder of pancreatic contractions;
- to strengthen motor skills and restore the ruminant reflex;
- with increased gas formation, which causes swelling of the rumen.
To enhance effectiveness, treatment with hellebore tincture should be combined with a stomach massage. The aqueous solution is also used externally for medicinal and prophylactic purposes, in the fight against fleas and lice-eaters.
Schemes and dosages for cows
Instructions for using the product for the treatment of cattle:
- Cows are given 5-12 ml per day orally. If the dose is calculated depending on the animal’s body weight, take 2-2.5 ml/kg;
- To treat rumen tympania, the daily dose is divided into 3 doses, drinking hellebore tincture to a cow or bull every 3 hours.
Hellebore water should be diluted in 50-500 ml of clean water (the amount is calculated by the weight of the cattle). Then the product is poured into a plastic container and the animal is forced to drink. For acute spasms of the gastrointestinal tract, a calf is also given hellebore tincture. To do this, you need to dilute 5 ml of the product in 500 ml of water.
If infusion of the medicine into a vein is indicated, the solution is administered slowly and carefully. The intravenous injection is given once.
Failure to comply with the dosage and rate of injection of the product leads to intoxication of the animal’s body, sometimes to death. The dosage of the drug for adults is 0.004-0.006 ml/kg (on average, 2-3 ml per head). It is recommended to coordinate the treatment regimen for the animal with a veterinarian. When the drug is administered intravenously, an increase in the animal's pulse above 100 is a signal to stop the injection.
Contraindications and side effects
The product is contraindicated for use in pregnant cows - it leads to miscarriage. In some cases, there is an individual intolerance to the drug in animals (the use of the drug is stopped, drugs are prescribed to eliminate the allergic reaction). In all other cases, subject to dosage standards, no negative consequences were identified after treatment with this drug.
Overdose
There are known cases of intoxication of the body with tincture of white hellebore root. The animal comes into a state of severe nervous overexcitation and often defecates loose stools. Increased salivation is also observed. Breathing slows down and blurred vision is noted.
Storage conditions, analogues
It is recommended to store hellebore tincture in a cool, dark place, out of reach of children, at a temperature of 0...+20 ˚С. The shelf life of the drug is 3 years from the date of manufacture. After its expiration, it is prohibited to use the product to treat animals.
After opening the bottle, the drug does not lose its medicinal properties for 7-8 months (if storage conditions are not violated).
Similar drugs with similar medicinal properties:
- "Timpanol". The product contains hellebore tincture. The drug, administered orally, relieves excessive gas formation, enhances peristalsis, ensuring rapid movement of intestinal contents, and has a ruminator and antiseptic effect.
- Lactic acid. Used for the prevention and treatment of intestinal inflammation and flatulence. It suppresses putrefactive processes in the stomach of cattle and reduces the formation of toxic decomposition products. Concentrated lactic acid cannot be used; the animal will burn its mucous membranes. The advantage of the product is that it is approved for the treatment of pregnant cows.
- Hellebore water. Aqueous-alcohol solution for the treatment of head lice. The drug affects the intestines of parasites. At the same time, the lice’s ability to feed and reproduce is impaired. When using a product to treat cattle, you must ensure that it does not get on the animal’s mucous membranes.
When using hellebore tincture, you should carefully follow the instructions. The healing properties of the drug appear only when consumed in small quantities; exceeding the norm leads to the death of cattle.The owner who carries out therapeutic procedures should avoid getting the product in the eyes.
